


Mud Water

by Cakelint



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Antisocial Itachi, Eventual Romance, Family Feels, Fix-It of Sorts, I don't know how the tags work, Kurosawa Yumeri, Mother Hen Shiranui Genma, Multi, No Smut, No Uchiha Massacre, Obito is there too, Original Character(s), Other, Shisui isn't going to be the first love interest sorry, Slow Burn, Uchiha Itachi Has Issues, Uchiha Sasuke - Freeform, Uchiha Shisui Lives, Yumeri is just trying to be a better sister guys, just angst and fluff, obito - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:20:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24516022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cakelint/pseuds/Cakelint
Summary: Kurosawa Yumeri has many things going for her. A good home life, a roof over her head, and a somewhat consistent cash flow. Unfortunately, happiness doesn't last forever.After the birth of her baby brother, Yumeri finds out the meaning of sacrifice and healingMoms don't always act like moms, and now she has to learn how to feed something other than herself. Fun.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Uchiha Shisui/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 31
Collections: A Collection of Beloved Inserts





	1. Chapter 1

There was a storm the previous night. A definite rare occurrence. Konoha was known for many things. One being that it was an annoyingly sunny village. Which was blatantly obvious since it resided in the Land of Fire. Two being that the sky was always clear. On good days, not a cloud could be seen. And to top it all off, the Hidden Leaf is surrounded by thick forests, making it humid as hell. With the heat and humidity, just standing still while the sun blazed its golden rays could have a person breaking out a sweat in seconds. That being said, the rain was a total godsend. Thick, dull, grey clouds covered the sky and shine, the air was significantly cooler and there was a peaceful breeze that passed by every now and then. 

As late morning came about, various sizes of puddles littered Yumeri's garden. And for Yumeri, that meant a lot of things.

-

As soon as her Tou-san left for his mission and her 

Okaa-san decided to nap it out on their worn-out couch, Yumeri snuck out.

Running out through the back door of her humble abode, the youngster found her way to their small garden. With nothing but her underwear and a rusty old bucket, the girl cannon-balled into the fresh mud. It was finally rainy season in the Hidden Leaf and every time the temperature outside was warm enough for the kid to go out, she would swim in the liquid dirt. Of course, only when the rain stopped. Okaa-san would yap her ear off if she went out naked in the rain. 

With the tin bucket in hand, the kid began her search. For this, she had to get down and dirty. Her hands already deep into the softened dirt, clawing through, and creating small craters. Although, the soil found its way underneath Yumeri's fingernails and in her unkempt locks, she didn't mind it all too much. She had to be quick with her hunt after all. As they often say, after rain comes shine—and worms.

Throughout her four long years of life, Yumeri was never one to be squeamish. So, her worm search didn't bother her a bit. Today was the only day she could find an abundance of those creatures, and it was only possible because of the rain. Many reasons could be deduced from that fact (why worms are easier to find after it rains) but Yumeri only needed two. Well, she only knew two. One being that the ground became softer and easier to manipulate. Thus, making it easier for her to dig. And number two being that worms were closer to the surface after precipitation. 

\--

The young girl often did heavy research before setting her plans into motion so, through reading and thorough investigation, she learned many new things about those wriggly decomposers. In her readings, she discovered that earthworms breathes through their skin. 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨.. They prefer damp soil, but if the land was overly saturated, the oxygen they need to absorb through their skin would be hard to find. 𝘚𝘰, 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘐 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 '𝘦𝘮 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦. By crawling their way up to the surface, earthworms gained the ability to breathe easily again. Albeit, they are forced to make themselves vulnerable to the elements, and/or predators. 

Luckily for her, it rained all throughout the night. 

\--

"I found one!" she shouted excitedly. Quickly, she scooped up the dirt and dumped it into her pail. Picking up the worm by itself proved to be quite difficult, so she resorted to just carrying it along with the soot. 

Once her bucket was filled to the brim, she hastily picked it up and ran to the nearest bush. Setting the bucket behind the greenery, the child huffed in satisfaction. The soil was moderately damp so the worms wouldn't either dry out or suffocate. 

There was a quiet rumble near the back door and Yumeri dashed back into the mud. Her mother had woken up. She couldn't let her mom know she was digging for worms. Raising suspicion would definitely throw her schemes into the mud. 

"What are you doing brat?" her mother asked as she stifled a yawn. 

"Just chillin', Okaa-san." the girl quipped as she crossed her hands behind her head, further demonstrating a laid-back attitude. 

"As long as you're not causin' me any trouble, do whatcha want, " Okaa-san said, her voice still raspy from sleep, "Actually, come back inside, I don't want you getting sick."

With a quick nod of her head, Yumeri stood up from the mud and ran to the door where her mother stood, holding a wet rag. 

"How's the mud feel, kid?"Okaa-san mused, whilst wiping down her very grubby daughter, "I should join ya next time, heard the other moms talkin' bout a mud bath and how it's good for your skin." 

"It kinda cold, so it feels good. The terempoture died down a little but it's still warm enough to play."

"It's temperature."

"Oh, thanks." 

"Hmm, well that sounds nice, I should join you next time. Wipe your feet on the mat before going in, and take a bath, 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦. I'll make you lunch later before I head off to work." 

"Yes Sir!" Yumeri saluted jokingly, which she then followed off with a small bow. Soon after, she ran off to start her bath, while her mother followed suit, just to make sure she was safe. A drowning four year old would prove to be very unfavorable for both of them.

—

For lunch, Okaa-san prepared Gyūdon*. Yumeri always took long baths so, by the time she got down to eat, the food would already be set. With her hair still very damp and in its natural unruly state, Yumeri sat down at the dinner table and watched excitedly as her Okaa-san placed a raw egg in her steaming bowl. The egg cooked instantly in front of her very eyes. Okaa-san had always been a mediocre cook, so her Tou-san often made the meals in the house. ccccc was about the only thing she can make besides instant food. But today, Tou-san had been assigned a mission by the Hokage. It wasn't rare for him to have missions since he is an active Chūnin after all, but he was finally on a vacation for once. Yumeri didn't think about it too much, but it did cause her stomach to stir slightly.

"Thank you for the meal," she muttered. Swiftly grabbing her chopsticks from the table, Yumeri began to chow down. Her beef bowl getting destroyed in seconds. Her mother giggled softly as she stared at her daughter eating like a pig--occasionally wiping off the mess on her face with a damp towel.

\--

"That was your best one so far Okaa-san." the girl complimented. 

"Thanks, kiddo, I didn't forget the onions this time." her mother chortled, "Alright, I'mma get ready for work now, Yui-san is goin' to check up on you every now and then, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Don't even worry about me, I can handle myself now." Yumeri boasted whilst puffing up her chest with childlike pride.

"You're only four years old and an absolute problem child, I know you have a knack for getting into trouble." Okaa-san teased, "I might come home late again, just a heads up."

She then stacked their dirty dishes and put them in the sink as she began another tedious chore. 

Okaa-san worked as a nurse at the Konoha Hospital. The only hospital around in such a huge village. She wasn't a medical ninja and never trained as one, so she only ever treated the civilian patients and low ranked shinobi. There were rarely any med-nin nowadays, civvy nurses were what dominated the Hospital. Those who showed even the slightest talent in medicinal chakra were swept up and put into teams, which left a pretty big dent in Konoha's health care system. The lack of funds was also an issue. Workers weren't paid with proper wages and med-nin were reserved for only the wealthy civilians and elite shinobi. 

As Yumeri stared at her mother's back, a solemn expression plastered her face. Recently, her Okaa-san has been working overtime at the hospital. Her being one of the few competent civvy nurses tended to do that. And it has been getting frequent too. Her mother comes home almost as late as her Tou-san. 

People around the village seemed to become busier and busier, and the girl had finally taken notice of such a drastic change. Summertime usually was a boon for small businesses and shops, but busy hospitals usually didn't mean anything good.

\--

"Okay, I'm headin' out now." Okaa-san bellowed from the genkan*. Once the door slammed shut, Yumeri ran back to the garden to look for her hidden treasure. It was a rather quick trip since her house was quite small.

Before stepping outside, she fetched the wet rag from earlier so she could wipe off any evidence of her schemes. Grabbing the handle of the tin bucket, she brought it out of the bush and placed it on top of their patio table. She decided to take a brief peek into the bucket, just to check if her worm collection survived. The soil still looked fairly damp and the worms themselves wriggled about in their normal worm fashion.

"Hm, they look about alright." the kid noted, "I guess it's time for phase two then."

With a little hop in her step, Yumeri snatched the stool that sat by the hose and placed it in front of the fence, the fence separating her garden from Old Lady Fusa's. Running back to the patio table, she got the pail of worms and scurried back to the stool. Bucket in hand, the troublemaker tiptoed on top of the stool and plopped the tub on the other side of the wooden fence. Soon after, her pudgy body followed suit.

—

The Old Lady always left the house to go grocery shopping after lunchtime on Wednesdays. Now that she was out of the picture, Yumeri didn't have to be worried about getting caught. Although, she did have to worry about Yui-san. So she had to do this fast. This wasn't her first time causing mischief so the girl didn't feel too troubled. If she was going to be a successful kunoichi, Yumeri had better start enhancing her stealth skills sooner rather than later. 

"Phase three."

She darted for the kitchen window. The opening was left slightly ajar, but the lock was still in reach. Thank Kami for baby hands. With a gentle push, there was a large enough gap for her and the bucket to enter. 

The next stop was the fridge. The youngster grabbed a chunk of dirt and worms and placed it over the collection of sauces. She hated that granny but ruining good food was too evil for her heart to do. At least sauces were in closed containers. With a soft thud, the fridge door was closed and the young punk was off to her following stop--The bathroom.

"Maybe I'm goin' a little too overboard with this?" she said, "Well, I've never been known to be a saint."

So the plan continues. On the way to the old hag's bathroom, Yumeri left a trail of her little menaces on the wooden floor. When she found her way to the bathroom, she quickly drew the shower curtains back. There was barely anything left in the pail, so she dumped the remnants in the tub. Now that her mission was complete, all she had to do was go back home and act as natural as possible. Yui-san would probably be coming to check on her by now.

Yumeri went back to the window and returned it to its previous state before her little break-in. Exiting through the front door, she went back home. She would've gone back home from behind to avoid suspicion, but she didn't have her stool to help her climb over the fence. 

The kid wiped up for the second time that day. Putting away her stool and cleaning out the bucket was easy, now all she had to do was sit and wait. Yui-san was coming by and Yumeri only wanted to be seen as an angel in front of a woman as kind as her.

Yumeri could tell what kind of person Yui-san was. Yui-san was the daughter of one of her mother's coworkers. She was young, around her mid-twenties. Yumeri has only met her a handful of times, but she knew that Yui-san was one of those rare types of people. The type that was genuinely kind-hearted to others and held no malice in their body. The girl liked interesting characters like her and thought that it would be a shame if Yui-san were to see her as some little imp. Well, even if she was exactly a little imp, it would still be unfortunate. 

\--

As Yumeri laid down on the couch, lost in her thoughts, a soft knock broke her out of it. The girl walked over to the window to check who it was. She then opened the door to invite her guest in.

"Ah, Yumeri-chan, how are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you if you've made it this far :( ilysm for that  
> Not much is going on right now, so far I'm just going to introduce characters that may or may not play a large role in Yumeri's life haha. I plan to use a few ocs in this story so sorry if you're not into that, but most of them are important to her life so it is needed.   
> Don't worry, her family isn't going to be abusive. Her mother still loves her plenty, she's just going to go through some stuff that will probably make you dislike her later in the fic.  
> Until then!


	2. Chapter 2

"I hope I'm not intruding."

"Nah, you're fine, I wasn't doin' anythin' much today anyways." The girl answered back casually, whilst shoving her clammy hands into her pockets. A cold sweat.

Yui-san carefully dropped the paper bag she brought with her and took off her sandals. She then set her shoes neatly aside and picked it back up.

"I brought snacks over, I didn't know which ones you liked, so I got plenty so you could choose," Yui-san said with a warm smile.

"Oh, thanks." Yumeri replied with a grin of her own," Umm I'll make us some tea then, I guess."

" If you can help me though...I don't really know how," she admitted embarrassingly. Whenever Okaa-san had her friends over, she always made tea. So that must be the adult thing to do when people came over, the girl thought.

Leading the older woman by the hand, Yumeri weaved through the rather small house and to the kitchen. The kitchen was a cute little thing. Everything was built close together so navigating while cooking was quite easy. Or at least that's what her parents say, the kid didn't have any cooking experience and boiling water was already making her anxious. Perhaps it was the want to impress Yui-san, or possibly the desire to seem capable, she didn't know.

The counters were a soft sage green color with little white flowers painted across it. Her Tou-san told her that he and Okaa-san painted them on when they first moved into their house because her Okaa-san whined that the kitchen looked too bland.

While Yui-san put the snacks down on the dining table, the kid headed over to the cabinets and began rummaging for the kettle. If her Tou-san was home today, the kettle would have already been on the stove for later use. He was rather fond of tea while Okaa-san was more of a milk person. Sometimes he would convince her to drink some if he put milk and honey in her tea. He wasn't home today.

"There it is, gotcha."

Picking up the tea kettle, Yumeri scurried over to the sink and turned on the faucet. While the water poured into the pot, the girl whipped her head left and right in search of her guest.

"Umm, Yui-san, how much water should I put in here?" The brunette walked towards the kid with her eyebrows knitted. "I dunno what I'm doin' really,"

"We should fill up the whole thing, some of the water will evaporate and we need to use some of the water to heat up the cups," Yui-san suggested.

Yumeri gave a nod and turned off the tap as soon as the water reached a few centimeters away from the brim. She held the pot with a vice grip and trotted over to the stove, kicking her stepping stool along the way. Yui-san lifted her by the armpit and plopped her on top of the stool. Once settled, Yumeri let go of the pot, setting it on the stovetop, and watched as Yui-san turned the knob. First, there was a crackling noise, then a flower of blue flames bloomed and danced under the kettle. The heat felt good on the skin of her arms. Okaa-san would never let her near the stove because she knew how reckless her daughter was, but Yui-san didn't know that. Breaking out of little trance, she looked up at her for-now caretaker and shot her a question

"Why do we need to heat up the cups if the water is already hot?"

"Well, the tea won't steep properly. If we don't preheat the cups, then the water will cool down faster than it should." the older woman explained. Adults sure talk funny, she mused.

Yumeri barely processed anything that came out of the older woman's mouth, but that was a good enough answer for her. Yui-san, although sweet and wonderful with kids, had a tendency of forgetting the literacy and comprehension of a child. Yumeri, although a child, was a sponge. She absorbed information fast and was quite intuitive for her age.

Yui-san grabbed the girl and perched her on her hip, carrying her back to the dining table like a sack of flour. Once they both sat down, Yui-san began to sift through the paper bag. She pulled out an assortment of snacks, all of them packaged in a lovely pink plastic wrap. From heart-shaped senbei, melon pan, dango, mochi, dorayaki, to potato chips, there were so many to choose from. Yumeri was very much overwhelmed.

"Dang, when and where did ya' buy all these?" the girl whistled. She went for the potato chips first.

"I stumbled across a new shop while on my way here. The owners migrated here from a neighboring village or so I've heard. I can't recall the name of the shop, unfortunately."

"Lucky they got in though, lately the village has been very no-nonsense about who gets in and who gets out." Yui-san sighed.

"Good for them, these chips taste extra yummy," Yumeri spoke in-between bites.

The two quickly fell into a relaxed state, making light conversation. Once they heard the loud whistle of the kettle, Yui-san prepared the tea and the pair continued their talk as they waited for the leaves to steep. It seemed that the only tea they had in the house was green tea, which paired well with the dango that the older woman had brought over.

When they finished their drinks, Yui-san cleaned up whilst Yumeri sat patiently by the window, narrow eyes sharply trained on the road. She seemed innocent enough to people who didn't know of her mischievous ways, but she was in fact scouting for a lucky old lady who might be returning home soon for a nice little surprise.

"Well it seems that my shift is starting soon, take care Yumeri-chan." she said as she turned to face the girl, walking over and patting her gently on the crown of her head " I would love to stay, but your mother caught me at a bad time. Thank you for your hospitality little one."

"No problem, Yui-san." Yumeri grinned.

As soon as she left, Yumeri made a mad dash to the closest window, but not before grabbing the spare key to the house. She then jumped through and landed awkwardly in a pile of leaves. The girl peeked over the wooden gate to check for Yui-san. Seeing as her visitor was out of sight, she snuck out for another adventure. Preferably, in the opposite direction of Yui-san's workplace.

\--

This time she was off to the training grounds. Staying in the house was too boring for the hyperactive girl and she opted for getting into a load of trouble instead. During this time, a certain black sheep would be using up that space. He was usually free on that day, no team training or whatever ninjas have to do. Yumeri didn't really know much about shinobi, other than the small things the recently made chunin would tell her.

"Yo Obito-niisan!"

"MERI-CHAN, YOU CAME TO VISIT ME?" The Uchiha yelled out. Oof, was the only response he got after he came tumbling towards her, squeezing her like a stuffed bear. He let go shortly after the smaller child began turning an unnerving shade of blue. "What's up little one, I haven't seen you in a while."

"Two days. We last saw each other two days ago."

"Irrelevant." the boy remarked, "Anyways, what's up?"

The girl sat down on the grassy field and patted the patch of ground next to her. Obito took notice of her small action and sat crisscrossed across from her instead. Which earned him a discontented huff. "I did some pretty wild stuff today."

"Oh really now?" he hummed in response. "Did you terrorize the neighborhood again?"

"You bet I did, that wrinkly hag never saw it coming." Yumeri said as she braided the grass, "I got a buncha worms and planted them all over her house."The boy could only sigh.

"Meri-chan, you should really stop messing with the old folks y'know?" Obito chastised, "Don't you want to be a ninja? Shinobi don't go around harassing elders."

Yumeri abruptly stopped playing with the grass and snapped her head upwards to look at his face. Checking to see if he meant what he said. Her eyes bulged, and mouth left agape. (Well, bulged as much as her cartoonishly squinted eyes could.) Obito, who was virtually her older brother figure, was telling her off? The girl knew he was always up for some fun. He was lax and was never a stickler for the rules. Never would she have thought that he would be the one scolding her.

He didn't sound mad. But--but his eyes looked like something. That same kind of something her Okaa-san had when she broke her favorite china. Oh yeah. That something was disappointment. 

Her face relaxed a little bit and brought itself down to a guilty frown. Even if he wasn't angry with her, she still felt terrible. She looked up to him, he was kind to her, and in her eyes, he was the strongest person she's ever met. Of course, only second to her old man. He was there for her whenever she was alone. When her parents left her in that small house. That small house that made her feel even smaller than usual.

Obito had the same thing that Yui-san had. That sort of kindness that always made a person feel good, and a generosity that was outmatched. Though, he was a little childish and had quite a short fuse. But that wasn't what made him interesting to her. Many children were kind like him, Yui-san was different because she was an adult. Adults usually lose their kindness the moment they lose their naivety. The thing that made her Obito-niisan different was how he held a jaded side to him as well. It was a little bit obvious, constantly losing to Kakashi tended to do that, but he covered it up well.

"She deserved it Bito-niisan. She's always acting hostiel to the other kids, that ain't right either y'know?" Yumeri said, fumbling with her pronunciation. 

"It's hostile."

"Thanks, anyway, every time any child is within a five feet r-radius, she loses her absolute sh-marbles." the girl rambles on. If her slip up was audible, Obito didn't seem to notice.

The Uchiha lifted the girl off the grass and plopped her down on his lap. She clung to the back of his shirt and buried her face into his chest, afraid to see if he still had that disappointed look on his face. The boy sighed and stroked her ratty hair, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Yumeri had no older figure to look after her, with her parents not being present often enough, and how her Tou-san is too kind, and how her Okaa-san is too lenient with her-- it's no wonder she's gotten quite spoiled. With Obito's own lack of family, he thought he fit the mold quite well. In a way, they needed each other.

If only his team could see him now, acting all mature and brother-like. Maybe Bakashi would stop acting like a small old dick if he saw that he had a wise side, and maybe he would have a better chance with Rin too. Girls seem to love boys who were sensitive.

"Maybe she did deserve it, but you shouldn't be so dead set on getting revenge every time something bad happens. Next time, try talking for a change." Obito advised. Haha funny, Yumeri was sure that Obi-nii was just as stubborn and as hard-headed as her.

"I'll try...but if her old lady ears don't hear a thing, I won't bother repeating myself." the little menace huffed, which earned her a good smack on the head and a pinch to the cheek.

Obito sat the girl back on the grass and stood up. After dusting off the back of his pants and fixing his bright orange goggles, he picked her up and carried her over his shoulder.

"Nii-san, I'm not a baby anymore, put me down!!" she whined.

"Whaaat, I could have sworn you learned how to walk just last week?" the chunin faked a gasp. Yumeri elbowed his back in retaliation and scrambled on top of him until she was securely seated on his shoulders. "I'm four years old, I'm pretty sure that I've been walkin' for a while now."

"Yeah yeah, whatever, but I don't see you complaining anymore. You seem comfy up there." Obito teased, "I'll take you back home, and if Fusa-baasan isn't there yet, you better fix your mess before she finds out."

Fixing things was definitely something Yumeri didn't do, but her Nii-san meant serious business. She leaned over and placed her chin on top of his spiky jet-black hair. Her arms were conveniently dangling down from her hunched form, so the boy grabbed them gently and squeezes her pudgy little hands. Guilt from Obito's words aside, the kid smiled and closed her eyes. A summer breeze brushed through their hair.

"Ok Nii-san.."

\--

Somewhere along their leisure walk, Obito had put Yumeri back down. The girl couldn't stay still for long, but she still held onto his hand. As the two rounded the corner of the dirt road, a shrill scream broke out in the air. It was a very distinct sound that only Fusa-baasan could make. What was supposed to be a scream, sounded much more like a dehydrated bird?

The Uchiha patted the younger's shoulder and promptly fled the scene with a body flicker. So much for that wise guy act. He just bailed on me and now I'm supposed ta' face that raging old bit-bummer all by myself?

The tiny delinquent hung her head low and dragged her feet along the sandy trail. A few seconds later, Fusa-baasan came booming out through her front door. Grey hair held in a tight bun, back hunched, and a deep, tight scowl on her aged face.

"Ya'know, frowning just adds more wrinkles to your already old face?" the girl quipped. Her eyes were closed and an ugly smug expression was laid on her face.

"Brat," the prune seethed.

"Someone's gotta teach you a lesson. It seems like your parents haven't disciplined you well enough."

Ah shit.

It only now settled into the girl's mind that she absolutely, positively, utterly fucked up. Definitely just dug her own grave kind of fucked up. There was no escape, especially when Fusa-baasan had her hold on the girl, dragging Yumeri to hell by the ear.

\--

The journey to the nether regions was long and painful. Yumeri stood by the entrance of the living room shivering like an abandoned puppy. She knew she was going to get a scolding, but she expected that kind of punishment from her parents. A quick apology to the old lady and back to messing around. But this, she never saw this coming. And it was all Obito-niisan's fault. She'll thoroughly enjoy getting back at him once this was over.

Fusa-baasan brought her attention back to the little imp. The old woman pulled out one of the dining chairs and slowly sat down, careful not to hurt her back. In the eyes of the four-year-old, she looked like the mob bosses that were described in her books. Intimidating, leaking an aura of supremacy. The power of a child's imagination was truly boundless.

"I hope you have a good reason for what you just did," Fusa-baasan said in a chiding tone.

The girl wanted to reply. She really did, but nothing came out. She was like a fish out of water with all the gaping she was doing. Instead, she moved her head in a way that looked like neither a yes or a no. The kid's eyes were beginning to gloss over. Fuss-baasan just sighed and facepalmed, feeling a little bad that she scared a four-year-old.

"Fine, tell you what kid." she started, "You clean this mess up and help me around the house for a month, and I won't tell your parents."

At this, Yumeri squinted and stared at the older woman skeptically. Ever since she could remember— which in all honesty wasn't that long ago— Fusa-baasan was never this kind to the girl. She's only given her cold glares and grumbles of irritation. Albeit, she probably very much deserved it. After all, the brat was notorious for terrorizing her neighbors and anyone who crossed her. Known by everyone except poor Yui-san, who remained oblivious to the kid's mischievous side.

This deal the old lady was offering seemed quite fair. Suspiciously fair. And Yumeri knew for a fact that Fusa-baasan wasn't known for her generosity. Looking back, she was bound to clean up the mess she made either way. Her Nii-san wouldn't let her off the hook since he was such an angel.

Angel my bum, what happened to all that camaraderie he talked about? Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum. What a frickin' hypocrite, all that talk just for that bastard to leave me to fend for myself.

Despite her initial suspicion, Yumeri agreed.

"You can start with my bathroom,"

And so, one month of being Fusa-baasan's slave began now.

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again  
> I post really slowly so I apologize in advance if the next time you see me is in a month from now. Just know that I've already started on the next chapter and I plan on it being quite long. Until then!


	3. Chapter 3

Scrubbing tubs and doing chores for a senile old lady proved to be quite difficult. Maybe it was her puny toddler body that made it so challenging for her, or maybe it was because Yumeri hated chores in general. Although labor had only become a recent discovery, she was pretty sure she despised it. 

Whatever the case may be, Yumeri knew that this was not something she’d like to be doing in a long, long time, preferably never. Although her current lifestyle seems to be saying otherwise.

Her skin burned from the chemicals, and her hands hardened from friction. Pushing through the day’s work paid off though, she was greeted with freshly baked cookies after her assigned task, courtesy of the old lady herself.

During that month, Yumeri learned a lot about Fusa-baasan—things she wouldn’t have picked up if she continued to view her as shallowly as she once did.

It was two weeks after her punishment started, that Yumeri had gotten a better understanding of her no-pay employer.

She was dusting the shelves when she came across it. A picture frame, although it sat faced down. The girl picked it up and placed it back the right side up. There, behind the glass and years of collected dust, was a picture of a little boy. Judging by his height and the slightly noticeable baby fat that still clung to his cheeks, he was about ten to thirteen years old. He was obviously a shinobi, judging by the forehead protector tied around his arm, and the shuriken holster strapped to his thigh. His eyes were closed and he had a smile most shinobi couldn’t produce nowadays. He looked content. Happy even.

“What are you doing?” Fusa-baasan asked.

“I was puttin’ this picture back up. Who’s that?”

“I asked you to clean my living room, not snoop around and look at my shit.” The old woman jeered. 

“How am I supposed to clean your living room if I can’t even look? Walk around with a blindfold? Oh, Oh! Maybe I can scream my lungs out and see if echolocation works?” Yumeri mocked, the sass very evident in her tone of voice,“You old folks get worked up on every little thing.”

“Don’t talk back to me kid, I’ll double your time,” She threatened although with no real intent, “And how the hell do you even know what echolocation means?”

“I just do,” the girl shrugged smugly. Her shoulders sagged back down and she whipped her head around recalling the granny’s previous words, “Aren’t there laws for this? Isn’t that, uhhh, child l-la-bor?”

Fusa-baasan just rolled her eyes and walked over to the wooden shelf, ignoring the yapping child.

The old woman picked up the picture and beckoned the girl over after sitting down on a chair. Yumeri followed suit and knelt at her side, resting her crossed arms on the arm-rest, using it to pillow her head. 

“Well, now that you’re all warm and cozy, how about a little storytime?”

“Yay,” she said sarcastically, she did however try her best to look attentive.

“This is-was my son, Hiroto.” Fusa-baasan sighed. She turned the frame to give the girl a better look and wiped a cluster of dust where his face was. “Handsome, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah,” The girl whispered, scooting closer to the woman.

“It was during the Second shinobi war. I took this picture after his graduation. He would have been thirty-one by now,”She looked at the photo with a somber expression, “He graduated much later than his batch because..because he was an absolute imbecile and could barely hold a kunai! Didn’t know my boy would end up such a dunce.” 

Fusa-baasan paused. Yumeri nudged her shoulder gently in an attempt to show comfort. 

“They shouldn’t have let him out there, he died because of that.” The older woman shuttered and closed her eyes, but no tears came out. There was nothing left to cry for. Years spent self-isolating tended to do that. She’s probably cried for years, grieving silently and lonely. They say time heals, but Yumeri wasn’t sure that it was the best thing to rely on all the time. 

Yumeri wasn’t a very touchy person, but she knew there was nothing useful she could say to the older woman. So the only thing she could do to fill the silence was giving her a loose, one-armed hug. 

Everything seemed to explain itself at that moment. Why Fusa-baasan was so cranky and sharp spoken. Why even though she acted like a stern old lady, she still baked cookies for a stubborn girl like her. Why sometimes she saw a happy glint in her eyes when she cheekily spoke back. 

She felt a pang of guilt. 

_Maybe I should tone it down a bit, she thought to herself._

“He was just as annoying as you.” the old hag teased, trying to lighten the mood. Regardless of her effort, Yumeri could tell that the wound hasn’t fully closed—that there was still some part of her that was mourning for her son.

It was a sad thing really. The thought plagued her mind for a while, even lingering before she slept.

Fusa-baasan was a parent who outlived her child.

\--

On the last day of her punishment, Yumeri was tasked with helping Fusa-baasan with her garden. She was in charge of de-weeding the area. Luckily, Fusa-baasan’s garden was rather small. A few flowers here and there and a strawberry plant that sat by the door. The majority of her plants were indoors and didn’t require as much sunlight. 

The whole chore was rather easy; pulling shit that looked like weeds, and throwing them in a pile. Although it was tedious and was rough on her hands, something about it was hypnotizing and it allowed her mind to wander a bit.

She thought about what would happen to her now. Now that she was free after today, she had no reason to stick around the old lady. Unfortunately, Yumeri had grown quite fond of the granny over the weeks they spent together. 

Fusa-baasan’s never stopped her curt way of speaking and Yumeri herself was still as much of a brat since their first formal meeting, but the two have developed a good understanding of one another. A grandparent and grandchild type of relationship was formed, and it felt kind of nice. 

After she finished pulling out the weeds, she dusted off her hands on the back of her shorts. Yumeri took off her sandals and went back into Fusa-baasan’s house to wash her hands. After wiping her hands dry, the girl went off to say her goodbyes to the old woman. Although she wanted to stay around, she wanted to get back before her mom came home.

“Baa-san I’m goin’ home now!” she yelled across the house. She scurried back to the garden to pick up her shoes and brought them to the front to strap them back on. Albeit, she did so rather slowly, trying to spare as much time, just in case Fusa-baasan wanted to show up to see her off.

“Oi kid, wait a second,” she heard a voice say, it wasn't very hard for her to figure out who, so she hummed a reply.

“I’m making Okonomiyaki tomorrow, so come by alright?”

Finally done with her sandals, she stood up and turned her head towards the old lady, giving her her pearliest smile.

“Oh Ancient One! Thank you for givin’, me, a poor hungry child, the chance to eat. If it so h-honors you, I would be dele-delighted to take you up on your offer. Bless your old wrinkly face.” Yumeri proclaimed with all the gratitude in her humble little body, fumbling on the larger words slightly.

“Well...since you want to act like a little smart ass, I guess you can repay my never-ending kindness by painting a new coat on my fence. Now shoo! Get lost you menace.”

Fusa-baasan placed her prune-like hand on the crown of her head and ruffled it hard. The end result was a curly, frizzy mop of hair, reminiscent of the dust bunnies the girl cleaned up a few days ago. 

“Yeah yeah I’ll paint your stupid fence.” She carped and lifted the old woman’s hand off. After she left the house, she saw Fusa-baasan through the window and gave a little wave as she walked home.

She smiled a real one her way back.  
\--

As soon as she opened the door she was met with a surprise. Two pairs of shoes swept neatly aside on the floor. She went in, and there, on their tacky sofa, was her mother. Sprawled over, limbs awkwardly posed, and some teen magazine covering her sleeping face. In the kitchen was her father, drinking what was presumably tea, looking through the kitchen window. 

He turned around and gave her a kind look.

“Tou-san! You’re both here? What’s goin’ on?” she asked.

“Hokage-sama gave me a three-day break,” he answered, the grin on his face stretching into a happy smile, “And your Okaa-san and I have some things to tell you.”

“Oh,” Yumeri smiled back. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

\--

Since her father was home early, he was cooking that night. They were having curry rice, and Yumeri decided to be his helpful little assistant. She was in charge of cutting the carrots into cute little shapes. Her Tou-san didn’t trust her with a knife so chopped them beforehand and gave her a small flower-shaped cookie cutter to finish the job.

After Eito, her lovely father, set the table, he had the girl wake up her Okaa-san so they could eat together. She tip-toed over to her comatose mother and peeled off the magazine off of her face. A weird noise emitted when she did it, something resembling velcro, or was it the sound of peeling a sticker? Whatever it was, it sounded disgustingly sticky. Her mother’s face was covered in saliva and sweat, she looked like a corpse, and if it wasn’t for her booming snores, Yumeri would have thought she was half orphaned. The girl poked her mom on the cheek.

“Wakey wakey Okaa-san,” she whispered at first

No response.

“I said wakey wakey Okaa-san,” she said a little louder.

No response.

The kid tried other techniques, but her mother slept through it all. Shaking, tickling, shouting, none of it worked. Her Tou-san just watched from the kitchen, amused by her frustration, chuckling whenever Yumeri gave in another attempt to wake her beast of a mother, only for the woman to turn the other direction and respond with another set of snores. 

There was one thing she hasn’t tried yet. Yumeri wiped the sweat and drool off her mother’s face using a blanket, and pinched her nose tightly. She cupped her hand over her mom’s mouth as well, making sure she couldn’t breathe and waited, watching as the woman’s face started to stir. It seemed a little morbid, but she knew that would get her to wake up.

The woman began flailing her arms around in shock and tried to regain her breath. For a second, it felt as if her face lit on fire. Her little perpetrator doubled down in laughter, cackling and pounding her toddler-sized fists on the couch cushion with her fist. 

“What.” Akari huffed, “Where am-, wait who even..” 

It took her a while to pull herself together. She was in shock for a decent amount of time, jumbling broken sentences, and staring at her family wide-eyed. Eito, after seeing his wife all disheveled, laughed as well, then left the two girls and headed back to the dining room. 

“I told ya to wake up, but you didn’t.,” she whined. Akari squeezed her kid’s cheeks and pulled at it like taffy.

“Scaring the hell outa me must be your favorite hobby huh?”

Yumeri rubbed at her reddened cheeks and tugged on her mother’s sleeve. She gave her a toothy grin, “Well, ya make the funniest faces when yer scared Okaa-san.”

“Come on, I helped Tou-san out, so you gotta come taste what we made!”

She grabbed her mother’s hand and dragged her over to the dining table where her Tou-san sat, waiting. 

“Good evenin’ honey,” her mother grumbled, leaning over to peck her husband on the lips.

“Ew,” The girl said, faking a gag. Akari just rolled her eyes and lifted her, carrying the girl to her seat. Once they were all seated, the family gave their thanks and began eating.

“Hey Tou-shann,” Yumeri said whilst chewing, “What was that thing you and Okaa-san said you were goin’ to tell me?”

“Hmm, I suppose right now would be an appropriate time to break the news.”

Eito placed his spoon down and glanced at Akari, who in turn, gave her nod of approval. She instinctively dropped her hands to her stomach. 

“Yume-chan,” the man spoke softly, it almost sounded like a whisper, “You’re going to be an older sister.”

\--

Her heart raced. She could feel the heavy thumping in her chest and the vibrations filled her ears. She loved her family, she truly did. But her Tou-san rarely makes it to dinner and her Okaa-san works her bones off day after day. Only her niisan had time for her, but even their time had begun to dwindle. 

With her sibling on the way, her Okaa-san was granted maternity leave. Of course, that meant that she’d have to be on her very best behavior, but it didn’t matter. Her Okaa-san’s break would make up for the lost time. 

_How long did it take for babies to get delivered anyways? I know it’s in Okaa-san’s stomach, but how the hell does it get out? Maybe they have something about that in the library. Will I get to share a room with them? Oh god, I hope it’s a boyboyboy-_

The girl squirmed out of her futon. There was no use trying to sleep. Her eyes felt heavy and she knew she was tired, but she was too eager to become a sister. 

Yumeri silently opened her door, poking her head out to check if her parents were still awake. She could hear her Okaa-san’s booming snores. _That’s a good sign._

She steadily began to tip-toe her way to their room. 

The girl quietly tried to slide herself in between her parents. She held her breath the entire time, only releasing it when she saw both were still dead asleep. 

Her mother’s snores stopped abruptly and she turned her head towards the kid, opening her eyes dramatically. 

“Boo,” Akari whispered. 

Yumeri flinched on reflex, startling her father, who luckily fell back asleep a second after. Fortunately, she held her scream back. Akari chuckled, but pulled the girl closer and draped their now shared blanket over her. 

“Can’t sleep?”

She just hummed a reply and shifted around trying to get comfortable. She ended up settling her face into her mother’s breasts. 

“I just can’t wait to have a sibling. How long is it gonna take anyway?” she asked, voice muffled.

“Hmm, maybe around April I think. I’m gonna go to the docs tomorrow,” Akari replied, “We weren’t going to tell you until way later, but your Tou-san knew you’re mature enough.”

The girl huffed and snuggled closer.

“Heh, ‘course I’m mature ‘nuff! I promise that when I become an awesome kunoichi, I’ll protect you guys forever.”

“I’ll take your word on that.” the woman whispered, kissing her daughter’s head and rubbing soothing circles on her back. Yumeri, in return, placed her pudgy hand on her belly, falling asleep shortly after. 

—

Yumeri woke up alone in her parents’ bed. It was early in the morning from what she could tell. Barely any light came through the window. _It’s around sunrise._

After putting her slippers on, she tried her best at fixing the bed and quietly entered the hallway. 

“-a field promotion. Didn’t get the chance to tell you earlier. Not something to talk about during dinner— Anyways that’s why Hokage-sama gave me the three-day break.” Eito said in a hushed voice. Yumeri slumped down against the wall, this was obviously a conversation she shouldn’t be hearing, but she decided to eavesdrop anyway. 

“Shit. Are you assigned somewhere? Please I need to know if you’ll be safe,” her mother faltered. 

“I’ll be stationed for border patrol. Don’t worry too much, I’m not being sent to the front. The location, as far as I know, is safe enough, I can’t disclose it, I’m sorry.” He said candidly, trying his best to sound truthful. 

A worried wife would not be something Eito would look forward to. It’s easier to lie when you tell partial truths. She can hear her mother shuffle around, hopefully that calmed her down. 

“It’s alright, I get it, I get it, classified right?” She huffed, “ You’re here right now, and that’s enough for me-“

“There’s something else I need to tell you,” he cut, and this time Eito hesitates, “The war has gotten worse and Konoha’s starting to fumble—the Sandaime has lowered the age requirement for the academy to four.”

Yumeri inhaled sharply. She slowly got up, still trying her best to stay quiet. Grabbing the door handle to her parent’s room, she opened and closed it immediately after, this time allowing the door to squeak. The girl left the hallway, walking with audible footsteps. 

“Mornin’.” she fakes a groggy voice and rubs at her eyes, adding a yawn for effect. 

Akari turns away and hides her face behind a magazine, but Yumeri still catches a glimpse of her mother’s glossed eyes. 

“Morning Yumeri-chan,” Eito replies with a friendly lilt. His face is as passive and gentle as ever, but the girl notices how his arms are crossed—like he’s hiding a secret. 

The day went by like normal and her parents act as if nothing happened. There was a war right under her nose, and Konoha will make her play a part in it. 

This was what she wanted right? To become a shinobi like her nii-san and Tou-san? Now she’ll get it, although under completely different circumstances. 

She smiled and squeezed her Tou-san around the waist. _He gets to stay for 2 more days._

She thinks of Hiroto. A ninja-hopeful — _just like me_ —who paid the price with his life. 

____

____

—

Omake!!!

Yumeri knocked on the door and took a step back, swinging her plastic bag a couple of times. A few moments passed by, but eventually, she heard an “I’m coming!” and the door opened up to reveal a silver-haired granny. 

“Hi Niisan’s granny,” the girl greeted, “Is Obito-nii here by any chance?”

“He’s over with his team, training. Is there something you need?”

“Uh, yeah, well... Niisan did something really bad to me so I came here to get payback. I promise it’s harmless! Also, it’ll only affect him, so don’t worry granny.” 

The old lady snickered, and let the girl enter. 

“As long as it’s harmless dear.” 

Yumeri gave a reaffirming hum and bounded towards Obito’s room. He had his own bathroom so there was no risk of his granny getting caught in her misdeeds. 

She dropped her plastic bag on the floor and grabbed his shampoo. A good amount of it has already been used, so there was no need for her to drain some. 

In the bag was a funnel she took from home and a box of Splash! red hair dye she bought with her allowance. She also had one wooden chopstick in her pocket, to which she borrowed from a ramen shop on the way there. 

Yumeri poured a good amount of the cheap box dye into the shampoo bottle and stirred it with the chopstick. 

It was an angry deep crimson color, only an idiot would fall for that. Good thing her Niisan was an idiot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the long awaited third chapter. No sign of Itachi yet?? It's because I'm a liar and can't keep promises 😎😎👌  
> I'll try to have them meet in the next chapter, but Itachi is still a baby so there won't be much interaction between them.  
> By the way, the Splash! hair dye was a reference to the actual brand Splat. This chapter went through a lot of editing. I even deleted a whole chunk smh. I'm not really satisfied but oh well. 
> 
> Bye bye 💞👄💞


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